Sandy Mitchell (prisoner)
Sandy Mitchell was one of seven men incarcerated in Saudi Arabia between December 2000 and August 2003 for the bombing death of Christopher Rodway, a British National living in Riyadh. While in prison, he was tortured and forced to make a televised confession in which he detailed the methods and as to which he and his fellow prisoners committed the crime.[1] He was later granted clemency and returned to the UK, as a result of intense negotiations by Charles, Prince of Wales and a possible prisoner exchange in the U.S.
Mitchell says the bombings were perpetrated by "Islamic extremists" and that he and others charged were victims of a cover-up conspiracy by Saudi authorities.[2] Along with Mark Hollingsworth, he wrote Saudi Babylon: Torture, Corruption and Cover-Up Inside the House of Saud.
Others charged in connection with the death of Christopher Rodway include Les Walker, Ron Jones, Mike Sedlak, Raf Schyvens, and Bill Sampson.[2][3]
Mitchell, Walker, Jones, and Sampson, with the backing of Amnesty International, The Redress Trust, and Interights, sought the right in the British court system to sue Saudi Arabia for their torture. They won a Court of Appeal ruling in 2004, but it was overturned by a 2006 Law Lords ruling based on the State Immunity Act 1978.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "I would have confessed to anything". The Guardian. 10 May 2005. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ a b Alasdair Palmer. "They will burn in hell for what they have done to me". The Daily Telegraph. 14 May 2005. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Saudi 'torture' Britons lose case". BBC. 14 June 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
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